1 00:00:02,160 --> 00:00:06,600 Hey, man, we honor the Lord today in the House of God. 2 00:00:07,560 --> 00:00:11,120 We're glad to be in the church for another service. 3 00:00:12,080 --> 00:00:14,960 Those who have been to camp have been in several services this 4 00:00:14,960 --> 00:00:19,280 week trying to think, see, starting really on Tuesday. 5 00:00:19,880 --> 00:00:27,760 So about 8 services I believe. And so this is number 9 for them 6 00:00:27,760 --> 00:00:30,800 this week, if you start on Monday, I guess. 7 00:00:31,400 --> 00:00:33,040 Amen. We're so glad to be in the House 8 00:00:33,040 --> 00:00:35,080 of Lords. See all your smiling faces, 9 00:00:35,600 --> 00:00:37,040 Amen. Most of the people that I see 10 00:00:37,040 --> 00:00:40,200 out in this audience are people that wasn't at camp. 11 00:00:40,200 --> 00:00:47,920 And so you're refreshed maybe. And I'm on my journey to there, 12 00:00:49,120 --> 00:00:52,000 Amen, That it's been good. It's been good. 13 00:00:52,320 --> 00:01:02,040 First Kings chapter #3 Today, First Kings chapter #3 I'm going 14 00:01:02,040 --> 00:01:04,080 to read just a few verses of Scripture. 15 00:01:04,080 --> 00:01:06,680 I'm going to skip around just a little bit, all right, in this 16 00:01:06,680 --> 00:01:11,520 chapter, but I'll direct you where we're going so that you're 17 00:01:11,520 --> 00:01:20,000 not, so that you're not lost. Bible says in verse #5 First 18 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:24,160 Kings. 3. Verse #5 In Gibeon the Lord 19 00:01:24,160 --> 00:01:29,680 appeared to Solomon in a dream by night God said, Ask what I 20 00:01:29,680 --> 00:01:33,800 shall give thee. Skipping down to verse #9 21 00:01:35,080 --> 00:01:38,040 Solomon's request to that statement. 22 00:01:39,160 --> 00:01:42,720 Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy 23 00:01:42,720 --> 00:01:45,560 people, that I may discern between good and bad. 24 00:01:46,120 --> 00:01:51,280 For who is able to judge this thy so great a people? 25 00:01:51,520 --> 00:01:58,120 Skipping down to verse 13, this is God now responding again to 26 00:01:58,560 --> 00:02:02,320 Solomon. And I have also whatever I say 27 00:02:02,320 --> 00:02:07,720 also, I've also given thee that which thou hast not asked. 28 00:02:08,160 --> 00:02:11,240 So if you start stringing some things together, God says 29 00:02:11,240 --> 00:02:15,720 basically tell me what you want. He says I want an understanding 30 00:02:15,720 --> 00:02:17,680 heart. God says I'll give you that, 31 00:02:17,680 --> 00:02:21,800 plus I'll give you what you even didn't ask for, both riches and 32 00:02:21,800 --> 00:02:25,680 honor, so that there shall be not any among the kings likened 33 00:02:25,680 --> 00:02:28,920 to thee all thy days. And if that will walk in my 34 00:02:28,920 --> 00:02:33,480 ways, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as thy father 35 00:02:33,480 --> 00:02:37,440 David did walk, then will I lengthen thy days. 36 00:02:38,120 --> 00:02:43,440 Oaks, I mean, this is quite an open fountain that has come from 37 00:02:43,440 --> 00:02:48,680 the Lord. I mean, imagine if God looked at 38 00:02:48,680 --> 00:02:50,480 you and said, hey, what do you want? 39 00:02:51,440 --> 00:02:55,320 Name it. And then he said, hey, in 40 00:02:55,320 --> 00:02:58,200 addition to what you asked for, I'm going to give you what you 41 00:02:58,200 --> 00:03:01,880 didn't ask for. So this morning I want to 42 00:03:01,880 --> 00:03:05,480 minister just a little time today on this, when God hands 43 00:03:05,480 --> 00:03:11,320 you a blank check. And I, I think I'm OK because 44 00:03:11,400 --> 00:03:14,440 all the young people over there, most of them don't even know 45 00:03:14,440 --> 00:03:15,880 what a check is. OK. 46 00:03:17,200 --> 00:03:19,560 All right. Hey, man, let's pray together 47 00:03:19,560 --> 00:03:21,560 today. Father, I love you, God. 48 00:03:21,560 --> 00:03:23,720 I thank you, Jesus, God, for your spirit. 49 00:03:23,720 --> 00:03:26,120 I thank you, Lord, for this opportunity to be here. 50 00:03:26,520 --> 00:03:29,280 God help my mind. Lord Jesus, my body. 51 00:03:29,600 --> 00:03:33,000 I pray, O Lord Jesus, to be in tandem, Lord, with your spirit 52 00:03:33,200 --> 00:03:35,760 and will not fail to thank you, God, for what you accomplished 53 00:03:35,760 --> 00:03:38,440 in this place. And the lovely name of Jesus 54 00:03:38,440 --> 00:03:42,880 Christ, I pray Amen. And everyone say Amen, a man, 55 00:03:42,880 --> 00:03:45,600 you may be seated this morning in Jesus name. 56 00:03:46,240 --> 00:03:49,760 Now, I was born in the late 1970s, all right? 57 00:03:49,760 --> 00:03:54,560 And so a lot of my childhood was spent in the 80s and as 80s 58 00:03:54,560 --> 00:03:57,360 childhood. I remember most of you will too. 59 00:03:57,880 --> 00:04:02,880 The sweepstakes era, the sweepstakes era, a lot of times 60 00:04:02,880 --> 00:04:06,040 it happened by direct mail. You would get in your mailbox 61 00:04:06,440 --> 00:04:09,120 this little thing you could fill out for entering into the 62 00:04:09,120 --> 00:04:12,240 sweepstakes. And there was a known person of 63 00:04:12,240 --> 00:04:14,640 Ed McMahon. You remember that? 64 00:04:14,880 --> 00:04:18,480 And, and, and there were even advertisements for all of this 65 00:04:18,480 --> 00:04:22,400 and they would many times come to you like you may already be a 66 00:04:22,400 --> 00:04:25,840 winner, you know, type of thing. And, and Ed McMahon would say 67 00:04:25,840 --> 00:04:28,040 things like that. Do not forget to look for the 68 00:04:28,040 --> 00:04:31,480 envelope with my picture on it and, and all these different 69 00:04:31,480 --> 00:04:33,000 things. I remember giving those things. 70 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:36,640 I remember my mom filling them out, filling them out. 71 00:04:36,960 --> 00:04:40,600 And so, and they, they, a lot of times they were encouraging also 72 00:04:40,600 --> 00:04:43,120 to get a magazine subscription and they had like little 73 00:04:43,120 --> 00:04:46,240 stickers of time and stuff. And so we were poor kids. 74 00:04:46,240 --> 00:04:49,280 So that was the stickers that we got growing up playing with the 75 00:04:49,280 --> 00:04:52,480 little magazine subscriptions, you know, from the sweepstake 76 00:04:52,480 --> 00:04:54,760 house. And, and, and they always then 77 00:04:54,760 --> 00:04:58,560 highlighted that if Ed McMahon showed up at your house, he was 78 00:04:58,560 --> 00:05:01,680 going to have this oversized check, you know, he might be 79 00:05:01,680 --> 00:05:04,960 presenting to you $10,000 or something like that. 80 00:05:04,960 --> 00:05:07,360 And that was just always amazing to me. 81 00:05:07,680 --> 00:05:10,400 And then, and they still do it from time to time. 82 00:05:10,400 --> 00:05:14,560 They have the little McDonald's Monopoly game that you, you can 83 00:05:14,560 --> 00:05:16,600 play. That's changed a lot over the 84 00:05:16,600 --> 00:05:18,040 years. You can pull off those little 85 00:05:18,040 --> 00:05:21,800 tabs and collect Boardwalk and Parkway and maybe get some 86 00:05:21,800 --> 00:05:24,400 money. I remember once whenever I was 87 00:05:24,400 --> 00:05:28,840 young and we went to McDonald's, which was again a scarce thing. 88 00:05:28,840 --> 00:05:32,000 It didn't happen all the time, but I pulled one of those tags 89 00:05:32,200 --> 00:05:37,800 off of my drink and I had an instant win of $250. 90 00:05:38,760 --> 00:05:41,840 Now, folks, my idea of instant win is you take that to the 91 00:05:41,840 --> 00:05:45,120 calendar and they open the register and give you $250. 92 00:05:45,320 --> 00:05:48,640 That's not the way it operated. They you had paperwork you had 93 00:05:48,640 --> 00:05:50,320 to fill out. You had to put that thing in the 94 00:05:50,320 --> 00:05:52,720 envelope, send it to the headquarters of wherever. 95 00:05:52,720 --> 00:05:56,720 We did all of that, Tyler, I promise you we did and got a 96 00:05:56,720 --> 00:05:59,960 letter back saying we didn't have the little instant thing 97 00:05:59,960 --> 00:06:01,760 off the cup, including the envelope. 98 00:06:01,920 --> 00:06:04,720 I, I think it, I, I just think it's a, just a hoax. 99 00:06:05,800 --> 00:06:09,200 And so, you know, even today when we talk about checks or 100 00:06:09,200 --> 00:06:11,760 things like that, and I mentioned it, they say that the 101 00:06:11,760 --> 00:06:16,240 millennials and the Gen. Z generations rarely even own 102 00:06:16,240 --> 00:06:20,000 checkbooks. Many have never even written a 103 00:06:20,000 --> 00:06:21,880 check. I mean, when I was growing up, 104 00:06:21,880 --> 00:06:25,440 when I was in middle school, my middle school math teacher had 105 00:06:25,600 --> 00:06:29,200 us fake accounts and we wrote checks and we made deposits and 106 00:06:29,200 --> 00:06:33,960 we bought stuff and all these type of things to practice even 107 00:06:33,960 --> 00:06:36,760 in whenever we were evangelizing and remember speaking about 108 00:06:36,760 --> 00:06:40,480 checks, it was just always a common thing that I did and I 109 00:06:40,480 --> 00:06:43,560 still yet do this day. It drives my wife crazy, but we 110 00:06:43,560 --> 00:06:46,600 evangelize and of course we were at the mercies of wherever we 111 00:06:46,600 --> 00:06:51,080 went as far as any type of pay that, you know, our livelihood 112 00:06:51,080 --> 00:06:54,560 was just however it went. And I would oftimes receive a 113 00:06:54,560 --> 00:06:57,160 check and I just put it in my pocket and you know, we're 114 00:06:57,160 --> 00:06:59,400 going, hours are going. Don's like, have you looked at 115 00:06:59,400 --> 00:07:01,440 the check yet? Because this is our livelihood. 116 00:07:01,640 --> 00:07:03,440 I said no. And Sir, give me that thing. 117 00:07:03,440 --> 00:07:04,800 You know, it's just, I don't know. 118 00:07:04,800 --> 00:07:07,720 I just kind of felt embarrassed by even opening an envelope like 119 00:07:07,720 --> 00:07:10,800 no, I ain't going to do this. But there were times that we we 120 00:07:10,800 --> 00:07:13,080 went places and we were never even given a check. 121 00:07:14,360 --> 00:07:16,400 You know, they forgot or whatever called a few days 122 00:07:16,400 --> 00:07:18,720 later, I'm sorry, you know, forgot to give you a check. 123 00:07:18,720 --> 00:07:21,320 So that's all right. There's been one time I had a 124 00:07:21,320 --> 00:07:24,640 check that was written to me and I'm not naming any names, but 125 00:07:24,640 --> 00:07:28,400 then I, and this is back the day before, like a major digital 126 00:07:28,400 --> 00:07:31,040 world, right? We would cash the checks and 127 00:07:31,040 --> 00:07:33,880 then we would get a money order and we'd send money back type of 128 00:07:33,880 --> 00:07:35,760 scenario. And so I remember going to the 129 00:07:35,760 --> 00:07:38,240 bank before we left that town and I gave them that check to 130 00:07:38,240 --> 00:07:42,520 cash it to do what I need to do. And they said, sorry, brother, 131 00:07:42,520 --> 00:07:44,760 whoever you say we have insufficient funds and we can't, 132 00:07:44,760 --> 00:07:50,200 we can't catch this check. I'm just saying how things were. 133 00:07:50,440 --> 00:07:54,040 And so I don't think I've ever really been given a blank check 134 00:07:54,360 --> 00:07:56,960 unless someone gave it to me and what I was getting ready to 135 00:07:56,960 --> 00:07:58,400 purchase. They just didn't know what the 136 00:07:58,400 --> 00:08:00,480 the amount was going to be. And they said I could fill it 137 00:08:00,480 --> 00:08:02,040 in. But nonetheless, could you 138 00:08:02,040 --> 00:08:04,640 imagine being given a bank, a blank check? 139 00:08:04,880 --> 00:08:09,000 This is just as an essence what has happened to Solomon early in 140 00:08:09,000 --> 00:08:11,760 his reign. He has traveled to the city of 141 00:08:11,760 --> 00:08:15,640 Gibeon and Gibeon's about four to five miles away from 142 00:08:15,640 --> 00:08:20,720 Jerusalem, and the Tabernacle of Moses is standing there at this 143 00:08:20,720 --> 00:08:25,120 time, and at the same time that the Tabernacle of Moses is at 144 00:08:25,120 --> 00:08:28,080 Gibeon. The ark of the Covenant, though, 145 00:08:28,160 --> 00:08:33,000 was at Jerusalem in a tent. No work had been done yet, 146 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:37,200 according to Scripture, for the building of the temple of 147 00:08:37,200 --> 00:08:39,600 Solomon. Nothing has been done toward its 148 00:08:39,600 --> 00:08:43,360 completion yet, and the Bible describes that Solomon is 149 00:08:43,360 --> 00:08:48,760 spending the night in Gibeon and that God appears to him in a 150 00:08:48,760 --> 00:08:53,760 dream, which was not an uncommon way for God to interact with 151 00:08:53,760 --> 00:08:56,800 mankind. We have enough instances in 152 00:08:56,800 --> 00:09:01,320 Scripture where he dealt with Jacob and Joseph through dreams 153 00:09:01,320 --> 00:09:05,360 and the Butler and the Baker and even Pharaoh himself through 154 00:09:05,360 --> 00:09:09,080 dreams in the past. However, the statement that God 155 00:09:09,080 --> 00:09:13,920 makes right here to Solomon seems somewhat out of character 156 00:09:13,920 --> 00:09:17,760 even for God. It's it's unprecedented, it's 157 00:09:17,760 --> 00:09:20,840 unrestrained. It's it's a little unsettling. 158 00:09:20,840 --> 00:09:26,120 Whatever God says to Solomon in this dream, ask what I shall 159 00:09:26,160 --> 00:09:28,920 give thee. Or as other versions would, 160 00:09:28,920 --> 00:09:31,520 would, would term it or translate it. 161 00:09:31,520 --> 00:09:36,080 Solomon, ask for anything you want and I will give it to you 162 00:09:36,560 --> 00:09:40,000 or ask for whatever you want me to give you. 163 00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:42,440 This. This is how we're introduced to 164 00:09:42,440 --> 00:09:47,120 Solomon's conversation with God. There's there's no warning, 165 00:09:47,120 --> 00:09:50,080 there's no conditions, there's no test. 166 00:09:50,080 --> 00:09:53,960 Brother Fred, it's not as though Solomon has to wander through a 167 00:09:53,960 --> 00:09:57,000 wilderness 1st and then he, he, he offers this. 168 00:09:57,000 --> 00:10:00,240 It's not as though he has to climb some mountain and then he 169 00:10:00,240 --> 00:10:03,000 offers this. He doesn't have to fight so many 170 00:10:03,000 --> 00:10:05,400 battles. And then it's offered to him, 171 00:10:05,400 --> 00:10:07,960 though. It's just, what do you want, 172 00:10:07,960 --> 00:10:10,240 Solomon? It's it's as though God's 173 00:10:10,240 --> 00:10:14,240 opening his Ledger and saying what whatever you want, just 174 00:10:14,240 --> 00:10:17,240 name it. He's he's providing Solomon a 175 00:10:17,240 --> 00:10:21,840 divine blank check. And so this type of talk from 176 00:10:21,840 --> 00:10:25,640 God that it it just startles me a little bit because I 177 00:10:25,640 --> 00:10:30,800 understand scripture does not portray this prosperity gospel 178 00:10:30,800 --> 00:10:34,640 that sometimes is spilled out across pulpit pulpit. 179 00:10:34,640 --> 00:10:39,600 It's not the blab and grab it, name it and claim it game Amen 180 00:10:39,600 --> 00:10:43,640 in Christ Church And, and I, I, I realize Solomon has some 181 00:10:43,640 --> 00:10:46,880 status. I, I realize that he is a king 182 00:10:46,880 --> 00:10:51,480 and I, I understand he has a position of rank in that life. 183 00:10:51,480 --> 00:10:54,040 But but what's happening right here isn't normal. 184 00:10:54,880 --> 00:10:58,200 It wasn't normal for Abraham. It wouldn't have been normal for 185 00:10:58,200 --> 00:11:00,320 Moses. It wouldn't have been normal for 186 00:11:00,320 --> 00:11:03,880 Jacob or Gideon or Job or any of them, because the, the, the, 187 00:11:03,880 --> 00:11:08,120 the, the history or the way that God would typically work is that 188 00:11:08,120 --> 00:11:14,360 God proves a man and then he trusts the man God. 189 00:11:14,520 --> 00:11:19,040 God didn't give Abraham, Isaac and then say, what else do you 190 00:11:19,040 --> 00:11:23,720 want? No, he rather took him to a 191 00:11:23,720 --> 00:11:27,440 mountain and tested him on the top of Mariah. 192 00:11:28,200 --> 00:11:31,760 As a matter of fact, Jacob, before his name was ever 193 00:11:31,760 --> 00:11:33,680 changed. It was because there was a 194 00:11:33,680 --> 00:11:37,200 wrestling match that took place all night with an Angel, the 195 00:11:37,200 --> 00:11:42,000 touching of the hollow of his thigh that that kind of segwayed 196 00:11:42,000 --> 00:11:44,520 into the giving of that new name. 197 00:11:44,520 --> 00:11:49,720 When we read about even Gideon, he had to scale his army down 198 00:11:49,720 --> 00:11:56,120 right a man, scale it down to 300 before God gave him any sort 199 00:11:56,120 --> 00:12:00,000 or type of victory. And when we mentioned Job, he 200 00:12:00,000 --> 00:12:03,480 meant we know with surety that Job lost almost everything, 201 00:12:03,760 --> 00:12:08,000 possessions, health and wealth before God doubled. 202 00:12:08,000 --> 00:12:09,320 What? It wasn't like Job. 203 00:12:09,320 --> 00:12:11,400 What do you, I'll give you double right from the go. 204 00:12:11,400 --> 00:12:14,920 No, he went through some things. He he was approved by some 205 00:12:14,920 --> 00:12:17,320 things. And then the Lord trusted him. 206 00:12:17,560 --> 00:12:23,000 And so Solomon's dealings with God seems to break the pattern 207 00:12:23,240 --> 00:12:27,520 that we have in Scripture. There's no warning, there's no 208 00:12:27,520 --> 00:12:29,520 trial. It's just that there's an 209 00:12:29,520 --> 00:12:34,520 invitation and God doesn't even set limits on the options. 210 00:12:34,760 --> 00:12:38,680 God leaves it all open-ended. It's not as though God came to 211 00:12:38,680 --> 00:12:42,400 Solomon said would you like peace or long life? 212 00:12:42,400 --> 00:12:44,720 He's not given even even just options. 213 00:12:44,720 --> 00:12:47,560 He he doesn't say would you like riches or honor. 214 00:12:47,560 --> 00:12:51,680 He doesn't do like that. No, he leaves it wide open and 215 00:12:51,680 --> 00:12:54,880 says just tell me whatever it is that you want. 216 00:12:57,040 --> 00:13:01,040 And so I got a pause this morning and ask why? 217 00:13:01,760 --> 00:13:08,000 Why would God offer this open-ended, if you will, ability 218 00:13:08,000 --> 00:13:11,160 of anything unto Solomon? For that matter, Sister Sheila, 219 00:13:11,160 --> 00:13:14,760 I'm thinking in the back of my mind, what type of life must a 220 00:13:14,760 --> 00:13:19,120 person live where God would trust them so much that he would 221 00:13:19,120 --> 00:13:24,160 say whatever you want? Many times in the Solomon story 222 00:13:24,280 --> 00:13:29,440 we focus on what Solomon asked for and what he didn't ask for. 223 00:13:29,440 --> 00:13:33,440 But the real question that begs the answer this morning is This 224 00:13:33,600 --> 00:13:39,120 is why did God even give Solomon this boundless freedom to ask 225 00:13:39,280 --> 00:13:43,880 whatever it was he wanted with no strings attached? 226 00:13:45,240 --> 00:13:48,920 Because let's be honest, today, if we were put in the same 227 00:13:48,920 --> 00:13:53,680 position as Solomon, I don't know if we would be as humble as 228 00:13:53,680 --> 00:13:58,800 mindful with our request. Some of us would say, hey God, 229 00:13:58,800 --> 00:14:01,120 give me your e-mail and I'll just share with you my Amazon 230 00:14:01,120 --> 00:14:02,600 wishlist and we can start right there. 231 00:14:02,600 --> 00:14:07,040 God, There you go. Others might even say, you know 232 00:14:07,040 --> 00:14:10,240 what, a bigger house would be good or maybe better financial 233 00:14:10,240 --> 00:14:13,600 standing, or maybe someone else would say, oh, I want some 234 00:14:13,600 --> 00:14:17,240 power, prestige or protection or, or perhaps somebody else 235 00:14:17,240 --> 00:14:20,600 would say God, whatever it would be, that would make life easier 236 00:14:20,600 --> 00:14:22,520 for me that that's what I request. 237 00:14:22,520 --> 00:14:25,720 Or I, I got some scores to settle with a few people. 238 00:14:25,720 --> 00:14:28,640 And if you can kind of lean in and help settle the score, then 239 00:14:28,920 --> 00:14:32,080 that's what I would really like. God, Amen. 240 00:14:32,400 --> 00:14:35,640 And it's for that matter, what Solomon does in this moment is 241 00:14:35,760 --> 00:14:39,920 is not not not customary even for what a king might want, 242 00:14:40,320 --> 00:14:43,440 because all of the people of his heir and age of different 243 00:14:43,440 --> 00:14:47,800 nations that were considered great kings, It's known probably 244 00:14:47,800 --> 00:14:50,160 what a king would want of his age. 245 00:14:50,520 --> 00:14:54,520 He would probably want long life, right, because kings were 246 00:14:54,520 --> 00:14:57,560 always under a threat of assassination. 247 00:14:57,760 --> 00:15:01,440 He probably want long life, or he could establish his king 248 00:15:01,520 --> 00:15:03,480 Kingdom and rule for a long time. 249 00:15:03,480 --> 00:15:08,040 King kings of Solomon's age are probably going to want wealth so 250 00:15:08,040 --> 00:15:12,640 they can build their empire or power to conquer their enemies 251 00:15:12,640 --> 00:15:16,600 and keep their enemies in check. So as they conquer enemies, they 252 00:15:16,600 --> 00:15:21,120 are then also gathering together more land and and broadening and 253 00:15:21,120 --> 00:15:23,440 making their Kingdom larger and bigger. 254 00:15:23,560 --> 00:15:26,560 That's that's what kings would want in Solomon's day. 255 00:15:26,560 --> 00:15:28,080 But Solomon doesn't ask for that. 256 00:15:28,320 --> 00:15:31,440 Kings and Solomon's day. They want to be remembered. 257 00:15:31,720 --> 00:15:34,120 They want their names etched in stone. 258 00:15:34,120 --> 00:15:37,560 They they want them stamped, if you will, on cities written down 259 00:15:37,560 --> 00:15:41,600 in history to be remembered, shouted Amen to with with 260 00:15:41,600 --> 00:15:45,040 applause by their subjects. Kings wanted monuments and 261 00:15:45,040 --> 00:15:47,560 memorials, not wisdom and discernment. 262 00:15:47,680 --> 00:15:53,960 But Solomon doesn't ask for any of that, and yet he breaks the 263 00:15:53,960 --> 00:15:57,880 pattern. He asked for an understanding 264 00:15:58,280 --> 00:16:01,160 heart. The Bible says he knew that he 265 00:16:01,160 --> 00:16:05,600 was inexperienced and he doesn't approach God as a king that's 266 00:16:05,600 --> 00:16:10,440 talking to a higher king. He comes, the Bible says, as a 267 00:16:10,480 --> 00:16:12,200 servant. As a matter of fact, several 268 00:16:12,200 --> 00:16:15,400 times Solomon in his conversation with God is 269 00:16:15,400 --> 00:16:19,600 referring to himself as a servant because he knew the task 270 00:16:19,600 --> 00:16:23,560 before him was great and he had a certain self-awareness about 271 00:16:23,560 --> 00:16:25,840 himself. And the Bible talks about how he 272 00:16:25,840 --> 00:16:29,400 felt the burden of all of the people that he had to care for. 273 00:16:29,760 --> 00:16:33,080 And so he's asking for an understanding heart. 274 00:16:33,840 --> 00:16:38,280 But in his asking, in his request, really it tells us 275 00:16:38,280 --> 00:16:43,200 everything that we need to know about where Solomon's heart was. 276 00:16:43,840 --> 00:16:46,440 Because pride doesn't make a request like that. 277 00:16:48,160 --> 00:16:50,080 Entitlement doesn't kneel like that. 278 00:16:50,080 --> 00:16:52,840 Ego doesn't ask for things like that. 279 00:16:53,520 --> 00:16:58,800 Solomon even says he says, God, these people are your people and 280 00:16:58,800 --> 00:17:02,840 I don't know how to lead your people without you. 281 00:17:03,400 --> 00:17:08,680 And so God, I need a God perspective on how to handle 282 00:17:08,880 --> 00:17:12,440 your people. I need your mind in order to 283 00:17:12,440 --> 00:17:16,920 govern your people. Look at verse #12 it tells us, 284 00:17:16,920 --> 00:17:20,040 Behold, I have done according to thy words, lo, I have given 285 00:17:20,040 --> 00:17:24,119 thee, God says a wise and understanding heart in verse 13. 286 00:17:24,119 --> 00:17:28,560 Again the wow factor is and God says I have also given thee with 287 00:17:28,560 --> 00:17:34,640 that which thou has not asked. I mean having having the 288 00:17:34,640 --> 00:17:39,280 opportunity to ask for whatever you want is 1 level, but being 289 00:17:39,280 --> 00:17:43,640 getting what you even didn't ask for is a whole nother degree. 290 00:17:44,400 --> 00:17:48,440 A whole nother level. God added then what he did not 291 00:17:48,440 --> 00:17:52,840 ask for He added to his life riches, He added to his life 292 00:17:52,840 --> 00:17:57,160 honor and the promise of a long life if he would follow after 293 00:17:57,160 --> 00:18:00,840 the ways of the Lord. And I'm blown away. 294 00:18:02,880 --> 00:18:06,560 This is a blank check scenario with God. 295 00:18:07,160 --> 00:18:10,440 And if we only read the passages and the verses that I read to 296 00:18:10,440 --> 00:18:14,480 you this morning, then our minds would be spinning, no doubt, as 297 00:18:14,480 --> 00:18:18,360 the goodness and just the lavishing of God upon Solomon, 298 00:18:18,360 --> 00:18:21,840 the breaking of the pattern of what typically was. 299 00:18:22,160 --> 00:18:25,280 But when we read a little bit more of the context of the 300 00:18:25,280 --> 00:18:29,880 scripture that surrounds Solomon's story and his dream, 301 00:18:30,040 --> 00:18:32,960 hey man, and don't just get caught up in the the dream, 302 00:18:33,320 --> 00:18:37,440 Amen, we begin to understand there's something that happened 303 00:18:38,000 --> 00:18:43,640 before he had a dream in Gibeon. The Bible says in First Kings 3 304 00:18:43,640 --> 00:18:50,080 and verse 2, only the people sacrificed in high places 305 00:18:50,640 --> 00:18:55,040 because there was no house built into the name of the Lord until 306 00:18:55,040 --> 00:18:59,200 those days. And Solomon loved the Lord 307 00:18:59,840 --> 00:19:03,680 walking in the statutes of David, his father, only he 308 00:19:03,680 --> 00:19:08,880 sacrificed and burnt incense in high places, and the king that 309 00:19:08,880 --> 00:19:14,920 went to there by say Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was 310 00:19:14,920 --> 00:19:23,200 the great high place. 1000 burnt offerings did Solomon offer upon 311 00:19:23,280 --> 00:19:27,880 that altar? I understand there's no temple 312 00:19:27,880 --> 00:19:30,920 right now. There's no temple right now. 313 00:19:31,560 --> 00:19:37,760 It's a time that there is no per SE central located location for 314 00:19:37,960 --> 00:19:42,040 worship at this moment. And so the people, including 315 00:19:42,040 --> 00:19:47,280 King Solomon sacrificed in high places and and high places were 316 00:19:47,280 --> 00:19:51,160 just places of worship that were naturally or artificially 317 00:19:51,160 --> 00:19:54,000 elevated for the purpose of worship. 318 00:19:54,280 --> 00:19:58,520 And so when we look at the snapshot of Solomon's life here, 319 00:19:58,720 --> 00:20:03,440 the Bible tells us he loves God. The Bible tells us he's walking 320 00:20:03,440 --> 00:20:07,000 in the pattern after the ways of his father David. 321 00:20:07,320 --> 00:20:11,680 And the Bible is telling us that he is sacrificing and burning 322 00:20:11,680 --> 00:20:16,200 incense at the place of worship. But not just any place of 323 00:20:16,200 --> 00:20:19,160 worship. He's doing this at Gibeon. 324 00:20:19,360 --> 00:20:23,680 He's doing this where the Tabernacle of Moses is currently 325 00:20:23,720 --> 00:20:25,160 set. Just walk with me. 326 00:20:25,160 --> 00:20:28,520 I do have a point before it's all set, maybe one Amen before 327 00:20:28,520 --> 00:20:29,280 it's all set. And. 328 00:20:29,440 --> 00:20:33,480 Today, but at Gibeon, here's Solomon offering. 329 00:20:33,480 --> 00:20:39,240 The Bible says 1000 burnt offerings unto the Lord. 330 00:20:39,680 --> 00:20:42,760 Some will argue that that took place all at once. 331 00:20:42,760 --> 00:20:46,200 Others will argue that's an accumulation of his regular 332 00:20:46,200 --> 00:20:49,680 trips having offered up sacrifices unto God. 333 00:20:50,040 --> 00:20:53,760 But the verb tense of offering in that particular verse 334 00:20:53,920 --> 00:20:58,720 indicates that this was a continuous act, that Solomon 335 00:20:58,720 --> 00:21:03,880 regularly went to Gibeon at the altar that was in the Tabernacle 336 00:21:03,880 --> 00:21:09,120 of Moses, and he would bring myriad sacrifices to offer up 337 00:21:09,160 --> 00:21:12,080 and to God. What the Bible is describing to 338 00:21:12,080 --> 00:21:15,920 us is that this was not Solomon's first time going to 339 00:21:15,920 --> 00:21:18,440 the altar and offering a sacrifice. 340 00:21:18,600 --> 00:21:22,600 Neither would Brother Fred be his last time that he was going 341 00:21:22,600 --> 00:21:27,560 to the altar to offer sacrifice. Now listen folks, 1000 animals, 342 00:21:27,640 --> 00:21:33,760 animals, regardless of what they were, Lamb, go ram, bull. 343 00:21:34,520 --> 00:21:41,640 That's a lot of animals. Now I don't know what he took, 344 00:21:41,640 --> 00:21:44,920 but I'm going to take the most expensive just for our purposes 345 00:21:44,920 --> 00:21:47,400 today. If it were a bull, which would 346 00:21:47,400 --> 00:21:50,160 have been the most expensive sacrificial animal? 347 00:21:50,960 --> 00:21:55,040 One source says concerning Solomon's day that a bull likely 348 00:21:55,040 --> 00:21:58,120 cost between 30 and 50 shekels. I know that don't mean anything 349 00:21:58,120 --> 00:22:02,160 to you depending on the age and the size and quality of it. 350 00:22:02,440 --> 00:22:06,080 But to put it in perspective, the Bible says in Second Kings 351 00:22:06,080 --> 00:22:10,960 7/1 it describes that a measure of fine flowers sold for one 352 00:22:10,960 --> 00:22:13,680 shekel during a time of abundance. 353 00:22:14,200 --> 00:22:17,080 In the book of Jeremiah, it describes that Jeremiah bought a 354 00:22:17,080 --> 00:22:24,880 field for 17 shekels, suggesting that land could be purchased for 355 00:22:24,880 --> 00:22:30,400 less than the cost of a bull. So if a bull cost, let's say 356 00:22:30,720 --> 00:22:32,760 that 30 to 50 range, let's just go in the middle. 357 00:22:32,920 --> 00:22:37,760 If a bull cost around 40 shekels, then 1000 bulls cost 358 00:22:38,200 --> 00:22:44,000 all the mathematicians out there 40,000 shekels, which an 359 00:22:44,000 --> 00:22:49,200 enormous amount that that that equaled and trumped years of an 360 00:22:49,200 --> 00:22:54,800 individual's wages in that day. And then according to the law, 361 00:22:54,800 --> 00:22:58,480 every burnt offering had to have a certain amount of flour and a 362 00:22:58,480 --> 00:23:01,720 certain amount of oil and a certain amount of wine that had 363 00:23:01,720 --> 00:23:04,160 a company all that. So you have that expense and 364 00:23:04,160 --> 00:23:08,400 cost on top of all of these thousands of sacrifices that are 365 00:23:08,400 --> 00:23:11,280 brought. And then these are whole burnt 366 00:23:11,280 --> 00:23:13,720 offerings. What that means is there were 367 00:23:13,720 --> 00:23:16,840 certain offerings in Scripture when you offered them, certain 368 00:23:16,840 --> 00:23:19,760 pieces of them were set aside and you could eat, your family 369 00:23:19,760 --> 00:23:22,160 could eat and your your friends could eat, or there were certain 370 00:23:22,160 --> 00:23:24,080 pieces set aside that the priest could eat. 371 00:23:24,240 --> 00:23:26,440 But that's not the case with hope and offerings. 372 00:23:26,640 --> 00:23:28,640 The priest isn't getting anything of that. 373 00:23:28,920 --> 00:23:30,400 Amen. The family that brought, it's 374 00:23:30,400 --> 00:23:33,760 not getting anything of that. No, the whole thing was put on 375 00:23:33,760 --> 00:23:38,400 the altar of fire and consumed by the fire and it belonged one 376 00:23:38,400 --> 00:23:44,280 hundred 100% unto God. Nobody got any benefit per SE of 377 00:23:44,280 --> 00:23:50,040 a piece of eating from it except God consumed it all and 378 00:23:50,040 --> 00:23:54,040 Solomon's placing things on there and he's relinquishing, if 379 00:23:54,040 --> 00:23:56,960 you will, them. They're all for the purpose of 380 00:23:56,960 --> 00:23:59,880 the Lord to the numbers of the thousands. 381 00:24:00,080 --> 00:24:02,080 And he hasn't just done this once. 382 00:24:02,280 --> 00:24:08,960 He has done this regularly. Someone say man. 383 00:24:10,680 --> 00:24:13,080 So what happened then, ladies and gentlemen? 384 00:24:14,120 --> 00:24:22,200 That night in a dream of God coming to Solomon, he comes to 385 00:24:22,200 --> 00:24:32,080 him at Gibeon on the hills of one of his trips to Gibeon of 386 00:24:32,080 --> 00:24:38,240 Holborn, offering sacrifices, being yielded and given unto 387 00:24:38,240 --> 00:24:39,360 God. What are you saying them, 388 00:24:39,360 --> 00:24:41,800 Brother McGee? I'm saying it starts to bring a 389 00:24:41,800 --> 00:24:45,720 little bit more clarity. Why God looked at this man and 390 00:24:45,720 --> 00:24:50,320 said whatever it is you want, ask what I'll give you whatever 391 00:24:50,320 --> 00:24:53,520 you desire, whatever's in your spirit that you would want. 392 00:24:53,640 --> 00:24:55,560 It puts a little bit more clarity to it. 393 00:24:55,760 --> 00:24:58,720 This isn't just God breaking a pattern, so to speak. 394 00:24:58,960 --> 00:25:04,000 But before God ever offered him whatever he want, Solomon had 395 00:25:04,000 --> 00:25:08,880 already spent several times at the altar and trips giving God 396 00:25:08,880 --> 00:25:12,720 everything he could give to God, offering to God everything God 397 00:25:13,040 --> 00:25:16,280 Amen would even require even more than what he would require 398 00:25:16,280 --> 00:25:18,680 for man. He's bringing animal after 399 00:25:18,680 --> 00:25:21,160 animal and saying I don't have to have a piece of it. 400 00:25:21,440 --> 00:25:23,840 I relinquish it all into your hands. 401 00:25:24,160 --> 00:25:29,120 That got the attention of God before the offer, before Solomon 402 00:25:29,120 --> 00:25:32,920 got Wisdom, before the bonus package of getting what he 403 00:25:32,920 --> 00:25:36,520 didn't ask for. There was a no Walter in 404 00:25:36,520 --> 00:25:46,950 Solomon's life. It's not just 1000 animals at 405 00:25:46,950 --> 00:25:50,190 this one particular time, but it's the continuous trips that 406 00:25:50,190 --> 00:25:55,190 he made there. Listen, this is what we must 407 00:25:55,190 --> 00:26:00,870 understand about this. When you're sacrificing 1000 408 00:26:00,870 --> 00:26:07,640 animals, this is not they get in, get it done, let me be seen 409 00:26:07,640 --> 00:26:09,880 by the public and go home affair. 410 00:26:13,720 --> 00:26:19,520 It takes time for the bloodshed of 1000 animals. 411 00:26:20,400 --> 00:26:26,120 There's work, there's toil, there's sweat, there's time, 412 00:26:26,720 --> 00:26:32,920 there's investment. Oh, God, that's involved at this 413 00:26:32,920 --> 00:26:38,360 altar whenever Solomon shows up. That much sacrifice is going to 414 00:26:38,360 --> 00:26:42,200 take some time. And that sort of sacrifice, it's 415 00:26:42,200 --> 00:26:45,880 going to slow a person down. You just can't rush through that 416 00:26:45,880 --> 00:26:48,120 sacrifice. You just can't say, well, let's 417 00:26:48,120 --> 00:26:50,000 get there and get home with that sacrifice. 418 00:26:50,000 --> 00:26:52,440 No, no, no. You got to spend some time 419 00:26:52,440 --> 00:26:55,000 there. It requires your resources. 420 00:26:55,240 --> 00:26:57,840 It requires your attention. Hey, man. 421 00:26:57,960 --> 00:27:00,960 And more than just the cost of it at all, you know what it's 422 00:27:00,960 --> 00:27:02,920 showcasing in the life of Solomon? 423 00:27:03,080 --> 00:27:06,560 It's showcasing A commitment. There's something I'm going to 424 00:27:06,560 --> 00:27:08,840 show up. I'm going to spend the time 425 00:27:08,840 --> 00:27:12,920 that's due and that's necessary to offer what I brought. 426 00:27:13,160 --> 00:27:16,480 If it's bloody, then fine. If sweat comes on my brow, 427 00:27:16,480 --> 00:27:19,200 that's fine. If I don't get home tonight and 428 00:27:19,200 --> 00:27:21,720 he didn't, he spent the night in Gideon. 429 00:27:21,920 --> 00:27:24,840 He said that's fine because God's worthy of it. 430 00:27:25,080 --> 00:27:36,400 I owe it to him. So here's a man that loves God 431 00:27:37,440 --> 00:27:40,360 walking after the ways of his father David. 432 00:27:41,520 --> 00:27:45,200 David was known for offering material and offering, if you 433 00:27:45,200 --> 00:27:48,240 will, items to God. And here's Solomon regularly 434 00:27:48,240 --> 00:27:53,920 showing up to give to God, spend time with God. 435 00:27:56,400 --> 00:28:00,960 So then we should not be surprised that the quote UN 436 00:28:00,960 --> 00:28:08,920 quote outlandish offer that God gives unto Solomon, he doesn't 437 00:28:08,920 --> 00:28:16,200 give that to him because he's king, come on, doesn't give that 438 00:28:16,200 --> 00:28:21,280 to him because of his position. He gave that to him because he 439 00:28:21,280 --> 00:28:28,120 was surrendered to an altar. This this isn't God wasn't 440 00:28:28,120 --> 00:28:32,840 trusting a stranger. No, God was trusting someone. 441 00:28:32,840 --> 00:28:41,520 He was in relationship. There's a verse a lot of people 442 00:28:41,520 --> 00:28:48,160 like to quote in the book of Psalms 37 and verse 4. 443 00:28:48,720 --> 00:28:50,160 Many of you perhaps even know it. 444 00:28:50,160 --> 00:28:53,000 Got it on your refrigerator, Little post it note on your 445 00:28:53,000 --> 00:28:58,160 digital laptop screen. Delight thyself also in the 446 00:28:58,160 --> 00:29:02,360 Lord. We love the second part, and he 447 00:29:02,880 --> 00:29:09,720 shall give thee the desires of thine heart. 448 00:29:15,040 --> 00:29:19,960 And sometimes we live then in the the air of like God is just 449 00:29:19,960 --> 00:29:26,640 a blank check writer right? You give me the desires of my 450 00:29:26,640 --> 00:29:30,360 heart. But the secret to that phrase is 451 00:29:30,360 --> 00:29:38,040 the first phrase, Delight thyself also in the Lord, your 452 00:29:38,040 --> 00:29:40,200 sister Maya. What happens when we delight 453 00:29:40,200 --> 00:29:43,480 ourself in the Lord? There's something that starts to 454 00:29:43,480 --> 00:29:45,440 happen. There's a change, there's a 455 00:29:45,440 --> 00:29:49,080 shift that starts to happen in our life when we make His 456 00:29:49,080 --> 00:29:55,600 priorities, our priorities, when we adopt his ways because we 457 00:29:55,600 --> 00:29:59,000 delight and, and we're just so overjoyed and marry and, and, 458 00:29:59,040 --> 00:30:01,440 and investing in the Lord and being with the Lord. 459 00:30:01,600 --> 00:30:07,640 You know what starts happening, Your wants and desires begin to 460 00:30:07,640 --> 00:30:14,240 shift because the more I delight in him and what he's for and 461 00:30:14,240 --> 00:30:18,800 what he, what he supports, you know what starts to happen. 462 00:30:19,320 --> 00:30:26,760 I begin to love what he loves and hate what he hates and 463 00:30:26,760 --> 00:30:32,000 desire what he desires. And so as I'm delighting myself, 464 00:30:32,000 --> 00:30:35,800 listen, as I'm delighting myself and the Lord, in a sense I'm 465 00:30:35,800 --> 00:30:42,920 becoming more like the Lord. And so at that moment in full 466 00:30:42,920 --> 00:30:49,360 abandoned of self and delighting in him, God can emphatically 467 00:30:49,360 --> 00:30:54,640 say, delight thyself also in the Lord, and he will give thee the 468 00:30:54,640 --> 00:30:58,520 desires of your heart. Because now, because through 469 00:30:58,520 --> 00:31:02,360 your delight in the Lord, your desires are not like they used 470 00:31:02,360 --> 00:31:05,120 to be. You're not that selfish person 471 00:31:05,120 --> 00:31:07,800 that you used to be. You're not that looking out for 472 00:31:07,800 --> 00:31:09,920 another one and my needs as you used to be. 473 00:31:09,920 --> 00:31:13,760 No, you've adapted and you've adopted his desires. 474 00:31:13,920 --> 00:31:17,160 And so God says, I know if they have me and mine, they're going 475 00:31:17,160 --> 00:31:20,600 to have the same desires as me. And whatever they ask, it's 476 00:31:20,600 --> 00:31:24,760 going to be by my will and my purpose and according to what I 477 00:31:24,760 --> 00:31:33,720 would want for their. So it's no surprise that God 478 00:31:33,720 --> 00:31:36,480 would look at Solomon and say, ask whatever you want. 479 00:31:36,600 --> 00:31:39,440 He said he's been at the altar enough, there's been enough 480 00:31:39,440 --> 00:31:41,720 sacrifice. He loves me enough. 481 00:31:41,920 --> 00:31:45,160 I know that man's heart. I can give him a blank check 482 00:31:45,320 --> 00:31:49,120 because it's going to be aligned with my purpose and my desire. 483 00:31:49,280 --> 00:31:58,520 Because he's delighted in. Oh, yeah, someone say man, he's 484 00:31:58,520 --> 00:32:06,920 delighted himself in me. Solomon, at this stage of the 485 00:32:06,920 --> 00:32:09,000 game of his life. And I'm not, I'm not trying to. 486 00:32:09,120 --> 00:32:12,760 You know, sometimes we put Bible characters on pedals and listen, 487 00:32:12,760 --> 00:32:14,200 they're human. They have their faults, too. 488 00:32:14,360 --> 00:32:17,240 But what I do put on the pedestal today is the behavior. 489 00:32:21,400 --> 00:32:26,160 There's been so much sacrifice and interaction with God that 490 00:32:26,160 --> 00:32:31,320 virtually anything that Solomon wanted at this moment would 491 00:32:31,320 --> 00:32:40,240 reflect what God wanted. For that matter, Solomon's in 492 00:32:40,240 --> 00:32:46,240 Gibeon because he wanted to go before temples in Jerusalem. 493 00:32:46,760 --> 00:32:49,040 He's there. He's established in his life 494 00:32:49,280 --> 00:32:51,440 before the building of the temple or for the before the 495 00:32:51,440 --> 00:32:54,760 building of his own house. He's established a rhythm of 496 00:32:54,760 --> 00:33:00,280 worship in his own life. And so when a man delights 497 00:33:00,280 --> 00:33:05,240 himself in the Lord and when a man acknowledges the Lord in all 498 00:33:05,240 --> 00:33:09,000 of his ways and he spent that much time and energy and expense 499 00:33:09,000 --> 00:33:13,080 and attention at the altar, God says, I can trust his desires. 500 00:33:17,960 --> 00:33:22,120 Solomon says, God, I just wanted, I just want to 501 00:33:22,120 --> 00:33:26,000 understanding heart or as we call today, we call it wisdom, 502 00:33:26,000 --> 00:33:28,480 right? Solomon, the wisest man that 503 00:33:28,480 --> 00:33:31,480 ever was. I want to understand in heart 504 00:33:32,240 --> 00:33:37,080 because God, through all of my sacrifices, God's been shaping 505 00:33:37,440 --> 00:33:43,720 Solomon and his wants and his desires are starting to look 506 00:33:43,720 --> 00:33:52,970 like God's will. When we spend time with God, it 507 00:33:52,970 --> 00:33:59,570 recalibrates our ambitions. When we spend time with God, it 508 00:33:59,570 --> 00:34:03,650 realigns our desires to align with God's purpose. 509 00:34:05,250 --> 00:34:11,409 Moses in his own lifetime had been exposed to the miraculous. 510 00:34:12,530 --> 00:34:15,090 He'd been exposed to the power of God. 511 00:34:15,679 --> 00:34:19,679 He had witnessed the plagues that came upon Egypt, and he saw 512 00:34:19,719 --> 00:34:24,320 with his very own eyes the sea parted and he led the people. 513 00:34:24,800 --> 00:34:29,000 But the Bible says in Exodus 33, at one particular occurrence 514 00:34:29,320 --> 00:34:36,040 after a prolonged time in God's presence, that Moses's desire 515 00:34:36,040 --> 00:34:41,719 Bishop it shifted the Bible says in Exodus 33 and verse 15 and he 516 00:34:41,719 --> 00:34:47,040 said unto him unto the Lord, he said, If thy presence go not 517 00:34:47,040 --> 00:34:52,560 with me, carry us not up hints. And then a few verses further 518 00:34:52,560 --> 00:34:57,240 down the verse 18, he says, and he said, I beseech thee speaking 519 00:34:57,240 --> 00:35:02,640 to the Lord, shoe me by glory. Can I tell you that after a 520 00:35:02,640 --> 00:35:07,560 prolonged time in the presence of God, Moses did not ask for a 521 00:35:07,840 --> 00:35:10,920 better route through or a easier way? 522 00:35:11,120 --> 00:35:14,840 He didn't even ask for a better behaved people who were quite, 523 00:35:14,840 --> 00:35:17,640 if you will, unsavory at times. He didn't ask for any of that. 524 00:35:17,880 --> 00:35:21,200 Know what he asked for? God, I just need your glory. 525 00:35:21,360 --> 00:35:23,080 I need more of you. What happened? 526 00:35:23,400 --> 00:35:25,960 Amen. Time with God changed his 527 00:35:26,000 --> 00:35:29,280 desire, his want. You don't have to change the 528 00:35:29,280 --> 00:35:31,160 people. You don't have to change the 529 00:35:31,160 --> 00:35:33,320 route. I just need more of God. 530 00:35:33,560 --> 00:35:36,360 And that was God's purpose and God's will. 531 00:35:37,400 --> 00:35:43,320 Hey, man, David, he's a warrior. David is a king, but he's also a 532 00:35:43,320 --> 00:35:47,440 very attentive psalmist. He writes Psalms, and he plays 533 00:35:47,440 --> 00:35:51,320 music out in the fields in the place where he's tendon animals. 534 00:35:51,560 --> 00:35:56,520 And the Bible says he once refused even to make an altar 535 00:35:56,760 --> 00:36:01,200 and sacrifice to the Lord if it didn't cost him something. 536 00:36:01,520 --> 00:36:05,080 And there is a little verbiage in the Psalms by the pen of 537 00:36:05,080 --> 00:36:09,320 David that is written in Psalms 27, 4, where the Bible says 538 00:36:09,320 --> 00:36:11,960 this. David says one thing. 539 00:36:11,960 --> 00:36:17,520 Have I desired of the Lord that will I seek after? 540 00:36:18,400 --> 00:36:22,440 Think of this one thing you could desire of the Lord. 541 00:36:22,840 --> 00:36:29,240 Here it is that I may dwell in the House of the Lord. 542 00:36:30,800 --> 00:36:32,800 You know what it's like. It's like David, here's your 543 00:36:32,800 --> 00:36:34,040 blank check. What do you want? 544 00:36:34,560 --> 00:36:37,720 I just want one thing more of you. 545 00:36:45,140 --> 00:36:50,020 See, when you ask for something, it reveals the desire of your 546 00:36:50,020 --> 00:36:56,060 heart for David, for Moses, for Solomon. 547 00:36:56,760 --> 00:36:58,080 It's not something that's self-serving. 548 00:36:58,120 --> 00:37:01,400 It's the people are mine or God's purpose and his will is a 549 00:37:01,400 --> 00:37:04,280 mine. That all of that flourishes out 550 00:37:04,280 --> 00:37:08,520 of time spent with God. How many times the Bible says 551 00:37:08,520 --> 00:37:13,920 annually that Hannah and Elkana and Hanaya and all of them would 552 00:37:13,920 --> 00:37:16,640 make their way to the House of God when it was time to offer 553 00:37:16,640 --> 00:37:19,560 the sacrifice. And Elkanah would give Hannah 554 00:37:19,560 --> 00:37:23,680 even sometimes more portions than what what her family, which 555 00:37:23,680 --> 00:37:26,480 was just herself, Amen should have deserved. 556 00:37:26,720 --> 00:37:29,800 But they would go there every year they would visit, they 557 00:37:29,800 --> 00:37:33,320 would make their altar, they would offer their sacrifices and 558 00:37:33,320 --> 00:37:36,560 they were would pray. Do you know over a period of 559 00:37:36,560 --> 00:37:39,440 time of annually doing that? There's something about 560 00:37:39,440 --> 00:37:43,880 frequenting the altar and praying to God that transformed 561 00:37:43,880 --> 00:37:49,200 Hannahs desire simply from wanting a child to hold to 562 00:37:49,240 --> 00:37:57,720 wanting a child to dedicate, wanting a child to hold for her 563 00:37:57,720 --> 00:38:01,360 own purpose as a natural mother with maternal instincts. 564 00:38:01,600 --> 00:38:04,160 Amen to coddle, Amen. And watch after a child. 565 00:38:04,240 --> 00:38:07,520 Something happened through the frequency of her visits that now 566 00:38:07,520 --> 00:38:09,480 it's not just I want a child for me. 567 00:38:09,800 --> 00:38:13,200 I want a child for you. I want a child for your purpose. 568 00:38:13,520 --> 00:38:17,680 And on those final times when she prayed and she cried out to 569 00:38:17,680 --> 00:38:21,240 God, God said, according to the time of life, I'm going to give 570 00:38:21,240 --> 00:38:23,360 you a child. And she would come about three 571 00:38:23,360 --> 00:38:27,320 years or four years later with that child, not for the purpose 572 00:38:27,320 --> 00:38:30,400 of her own advantage, but she's going to give it back to God. 573 00:38:30,560 --> 00:38:32,880 How in the world would God give such a thing? 574 00:38:33,080 --> 00:38:36,280 Because she had been at the temple, done enough sacrifice, 575 00:38:36,480 --> 00:38:39,760 had enough conversations. God said she's delighted 576 00:38:39,760 --> 00:38:42,040 herself. She's delighted herself. 577 00:38:42,320 --> 00:38:45,600 And from just wanting a child for herself, her wants have 578 00:38:45,600 --> 00:38:47,640 changed. The warning the child for me, 579 00:38:47,960 --> 00:39:01,440 I'll honor that. I'm convinced I'm hastening to a 580 00:39:01,440 --> 00:39:06,560 close and I'm convinced we read all this that took place and 581 00:39:06,560 --> 00:39:08,720 I'll even give you what you didn't ask for all these things. 582 00:39:10,160 --> 00:39:14,040 You want to see the life of Samuel, Look at verse 15 of the 583 00:39:14,040 --> 00:39:18,080 text today of First Kings Three. He's had this dream. 584 00:39:18,520 --> 00:39:22,280 All this thing has happened and the Bible says, and when Solomon 585 00:39:22,280 --> 00:39:27,560 awoke, behold, it was a dream. He leaves Gibeon, he goes back 586 00:39:27,560 --> 00:39:32,000 to Jerusalem, he stands before the Lord, look what he does, and 587 00:39:32,000 --> 00:39:37,720 he offers up burnt offerings and peace offerings and made a feast 588 00:39:38,280 --> 00:39:41,000 for all his servants. Now a peace offering could be 589 00:39:41,000 --> 00:39:43,080 shared. His purpose was really for 590 00:39:43,080 --> 00:39:45,720 fellowship, not just with God but with other people. 591 00:39:45,720 --> 00:39:48,200 There were pieces of it could be shared if he did it for all his 592 00:39:48,200 --> 00:39:51,040 servants, his entourage. We're talking about a great 593 00:39:51,040 --> 00:39:54,480 amount of sacrifice. Again, this is the life of 594 00:39:54,480 --> 00:39:57,760 Solomon. Sandwiched between two large 595 00:39:58,160 --> 00:40:02,840 notable times of sacrificing is a man that's being approached by 596 00:40:02,840 --> 00:40:05,840 God and asked just tell me what you want. 597 00:40:09,640 --> 00:40:15,080 The life pinpointed delineated by sacrifice has a man in the 598 00:40:15,080 --> 00:40:18,360 mix of it all. Where God's saying just tell me 599 00:40:18,360 --> 00:40:27,400 what to write the check for. The question is, are we 600 00:40:27,400 --> 00:40:38,990 trustworthy enough for God to ask the question, our desires 601 00:40:39,550 --> 00:40:43,550 enough in alignment with His desires that He don't mind 602 00:40:43,550 --> 00:40:45,590 moving the decimal further down the roll? 603 00:40:51,110 --> 00:40:57,080 Stay with me today, because this O encounter Gibby. 604 00:40:57,080 --> 00:41:01,640 And it didn't begin with a dream, started with an alter. 605 00:41:04,080 --> 00:41:07,640 And before the request, before the answer, before the promise 606 00:41:07,640 --> 00:41:12,760 of wisdom and riches and long life from Solomon, there was 607 00:41:12,760 --> 00:41:16,520 worship, there was total surrender. 608 00:41:17,160 --> 00:41:20,280 There was a man that had developed the rhythm of life of 609 00:41:20,280 --> 00:41:24,560 giving his best again and again and again. 610 00:41:25,400 --> 00:41:27,800 He doesn't come. And no, we don't have any 611 00:41:27,800 --> 00:41:29,440 history of this. It's not as though Solomon comes 612 00:41:29,440 --> 00:41:33,760 and then gives all this and says, now, God, since I've done 613 00:41:33,760 --> 00:41:42,080 this, this wasn't AI scratch your back, you scratch my back, 614 00:41:42,080 --> 00:41:46,360 God. This was not get leverage on 615 00:41:46,360 --> 00:41:49,040 God. Oh, a thousand 1000 animal 616 00:41:49,040 --> 00:41:52,360 sacrifice. Now God, let's talk about what I 617 00:41:52,360 --> 00:41:57,760 need and what now. He did it with abandoned. 618 00:41:59,200 --> 00:42:03,400 He did it without expecting anything in return. 619 00:42:06,200 --> 00:42:08,560 But what Solomon does do for us and his actions that they do 620 00:42:08,560 --> 00:42:14,360 this for us is that maybe I need a return to an altar, not to 621 00:42:14,360 --> 00:42:20,920 ask, but to be shaped by it and just give. 622 00:42:24,680 --> 00:42:26,400 Because here's the fact that matter if we in bow our heads 623 00:42:26,400 --> 00:42:36,720 today, God needs to work in US until what we want begins to 624 00:42:36,720 --> 00:42:44,920 reflect who he is. And if you delight yourself in 625 00:42:44,920 --> 00:42:52,040 the Lord, He even won't just give us what we desire, that he 626 00:42:52,040 --> 00:42:56,000 will give us desires worth having. 627 00:42:57,960 --> 00:42:59,440 Can we begin to talk to God today? 628 00:42:59,440 --> 00:43:10,960 God hand out a blank check as it would be whatsoever whatsoever 629 00:43:11,680 --> 00:43:16,720 you want. I want to be in a place that God 630 00:43:16,720 --> 00:43:21,360 can ask or suggest or make such a statement to me that he says 631 00:43:21,800 --> 00:43:24,040 McGee, what, what? Whatever you want. 632 00:43:25,400 --> 00:43:27,680 Understanding that it's really not breaking the pattern. 633 00:43:27,680 --> 00:43:32,080 It's showing a relationship. It's showing a trust that has 634 00:43:32,120 --> 00:43:37,840 been burgeoning from a relationship with God because I 635 00:43:37,840 --> 00:43:41,720 spend time with him. He he knows my character because 636 00:43:41,720 --> 00:43:44,760 you spend time with him. He he knows, he knows the 637 00:43:44,760 --> 00:43:48,240 shifting of your desires that used to be maybe all about you 638 00:43:48,240 --> 00:43:52,000 or I would benefit you. But now it's about what what can 639 00:43:52,000 --> 00:43:56,120 it do for for God or what can it do for his Kingdom or how can I 640 00:43:56,120 --> 00:43:59,240 be bred on the table for somebody else? 641 00:44:00,440 --> 00:44:03,360 God's just standing there saying, just tell me what it is. 642 00:44:04,840 --> 00:44:09,160 Just tell me what it is, because I know you. 643 00:44:10,240 --> 00:44:13,200 You frequent, you frequently talk to me and we have 644 00:44:13,200 --> 00:44:16,440 conversation and you pour your heart and your life out to me 645 00:44:16,440 --> 00:44:19,840 and I try to pour things back in you and I know you. 646 00:44:21,160 --> 00:44:24,000 I can ask you whatever and your whatever is going to be in 647 00:44:24,000 --> 00:44:26,120 alignment with what I would want to give you. 648 00:44:27,480 --> 00:44:29,120 What would serve the purpose best. 649 00:44:29,120 --> 00:44:32,160 These altars are open today. Maybe we need to ask. 650 00:44:32,160 --> 00:44:36,040 God search me O Lord help me God, help me God. 651 00:44:36,040 --> 00:44:39,520 Let let Lord my desires and my wants to come in alignment God 652 00:44:39,520 --> 00:44:41,680 with your desires and ones for me. 653 00:44:42,320 --> 00:44:47,000 God in this period of time in my life, I pray O God today, help 654 00:44:47,000 --> 00:44:51,360 me Jesus to find an altar. Help me God to frequent it. 655 00:44:51,760 --> 00:44:55,080 Help me God to pour my soul out upon it. 656 00:44:55,480 --> 00:44:58,720 Let it not be a one off trip. Let it be, Lord, a continuous 657 00:44:58,720 --> 00:45:03,440 trip and help me, Lord, God with abandoned to offer to offer. 658 00:45:03,880 --> 00:45:07,720 If it's cost, if it's expense, if it takes time, Lord, if 659 00:45:07,720 --> 00:45:10,360 there's energy, if there's investment, if it takes extra 660 00:45:10,360 --> 00:45:12,160 attention, Lord, I'm going to slow down. 661 00:45:12,160 --> 00:45:16,160 I'm going to pause God, because you're so deserving of it. 662 00:45:17,040 --> 00:45:20,600 You're so deserving of it. God will take you to the degree 663 00:45:20,600 --> 00:45:23,480 of not just giving you what you asked for, but he'll even give 664 00:45:23,480 --> 00:45:27,800 you what you didn't ask for and all of those type of things. 665 00:45:27,800 --> 00:45:32,800 They they they trickle down from a relationship with God. 666 00:45:33,320 --> 00:45:35,880 Can we raise our hands across this place if you'd be willing 667 00:45:35,880 --> 00:45:39,080 today and someone just begin to cry out how they want that 668 00:45:39,080 --> 00:45:42,800 deeper relationship with God. Lord, I want a deeper 669 00:45:42,800 --> 00:45:45,040 relationship with you. I don't I don't want it to be 670 00:45:45,040 --> 00:45:47,840 surface only. I don't want it to be just a 671 00:45:47,840 --> 00:45:50,400 Sunday and a Wednesday relationship. 672 00:45:50,400 --> 00:45:53,840 Oh God, I don't want it just to be I'm interested in God 673 00:45:53,840 --> 00:45:56,080 whenever I'm in need type of relationship. 674 00:45:56,120 --> 00:45:59,960 No, no, no, no, but I want it to be a relationship that in the 675 00:46:00,000 --> 00:46:03,520 off days when we're not gathered here at this place, that I'm 676 00:46:03,520 --> 00:46:05,840 finding myself a place of sacrifice. 677 00:46:05,840 --> 00:46:10,440 I find in myself a place of conversing with God, Hallelujah, 678 00:46:10,440 --> 00:46:14,000 and having conversation. And I'm noticing something in me 679 00:46:14,000 --> 00:46:17,240 that that my thoughts are becoming the thoughts that God 680 00:46:17,240 --> 00:46:21,080 has and that I'm seeing things through different eyes and my 681 00:46:21,080 --> 00:46:25,000 heart, my heart palpitates and it beats for things differently 682 00:46:25,000 --> 00:46:27,840 than what they used to be. For I'm finding that I'm being 683 00:46:27,840 --> 00:46:30,600 transformed. I'm growing, Amen, in the image 684 00:46:30,600 --> 00:46:33,240 of the stature of the Lord Jesus Christ. 685 00:46:33,560 --> 00:46:36,240 Folks, when that begins to happen, God's going to get out 686 00:46:36,240 --> 00:46:38,680 his checkbook. When that starts to happen, 687 00:46:38,680 --> 00:46:42,000 God's going to get out his checkbook and say you just name 688 00:46:42,000 --> 00:46:45,360 it because you're in a place and position that you're going to 689 00:46:45,360 --> 00:46:49,520 ask something in tandem with what I would want and desire. 690 00:46:49,960 --> 00:46:58,400 Hallelujah, Hallelujah. I need you, Jesus. 691 00:46:58,400 --> 00:46:59,640 I need you, Jesus.